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Coconut product found to kill mosquitoes
An alternative method of reducing malaria vector densities is by using the biological control agent Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis aka BTI which can be produced in whole coconuts.
BTI is a bacteria used as biological control agents for larvae stages of certain insects, including mosquitoes and flies. It occurs naturally in the environment. Scientists have isolated it from soil, insects and plant surfaces.
Anopheles; a malaria vector.
It produces toxins, which are effective in killing various species of mosquitoes, fungus gnats, and blackflies, while having almost no effect on other organisms.
One of the major advantages of BTI products in general is that they are thought to affect few non-target species.
BTI produces a toxin in its sporulated stage. It must be eaten by insects to be effective and works by interfering with digestion.
The toxin has a cytolytic action, which is activated in the mosquito larva midgut by the alkaline pH and specific proteolytic enzymes, and kills the mosquito larvae by damaging the midgut epithelial cells.
Formulations of BTI will only kill these types of insects and do not harm other kinds of insects, fish, birds, worms or any mammals and human being.
Mosquitoes are most sensitive to BTI when they are larvae, an immature stage of life. There is no known resistance. The microbial pesticide was registered in the United States for use in 1961 and re-registered in 1998.
It has undergone extensive testing prior to registration by the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA) of the U.S.A.
It is essentially nontoxic to humans, so there are no concerns for human health effects with BTI when it is used according to label directions. There are 26 BTI products registered for use in the United States. Aquabac, Teknar, Vectobac, and LarvX are examples of common trade names for the mosquito control products.
Commercial formulations include “Mosquito Dunks”/”Mosquito Bits.” It is also available in bulk liquid or granular formulations for commercial and public agency use. (END).
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